Four rescued from England's highest mountain after taking cannabis

Colin Ainscough

Four people had to be rescued from England's highest mountain after taking cannabis, police said.

The stranded group called 999 at around 6.30pm on Saturday to report they were unable to walk down from Scafell Pike, which rises to a peak of 3,209ft (978m) in the heart of the Lake District.

Cumbria Police said officers worked with the Wasdale mountain rescue team to find the group and bring them down more than three hours later at around 9.45pm.

Cumbria Police posted messages on social media about the rescue, which read: "Persons phoning Cumbria Police because they are stuck on a mountain, after taking cannabis. Now having to deploy M'tain Rescue, Air support and Ambulance to rescue them. Words fail us ....."

They later said: "Persons rescued by MRT, after becoming incapable of walking off mountain due to cannabis use. MRT volunteers putting themselves at risk to prevent harm."

The posts attracted more than 1,000 comments on Facebook, with many users suggesting they should foot the bill for the rescue.